Defacing 7/7 memorial was a despicable action

SUSAN VERGHESE survived the 7/7 London bombing and said at the ceremony to mark the ninth anniversary of the atrocity that on that awful day she had experienced the "best and worst" of humanity.

Published: 01:06, Tue, July 8, 2014

The 7/7 mourners showed dignity and class with their reaction to the defacing [GETTY]

Sadly, the worst was again on display yesterday in the form of red and black graffiti daubed on the Hyde Park memorial which might have been the work of Muslims or equally might have been the work of those trying to foment anger against Muslims.

The memorial was cleaned before the ceremony but in their response to this defacing, those who gathered to remember and to mourn demonstrated, yet again, the best side of human nature.

This anniversary, said one woman who had lost her sister, was an opportunity for people to "show their love" and she had no interest in the vandals or what they had done. Another pointed out that the memorial is not political and neither was yesterday's event and that the graffiti-ists were "childish".

The mourners showed such dignity and forbearance in the face of this callous vandalism that we should all be humbled by them.

But nevertheless it is to be hoped that the police are able to track down those who have committed this wicked crime and punish them accordingly.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BBC must cut down waste

HALF of us, according to a survey, would like to scrap the TV licence fee, thereby forcing the BBC to fund itself. It is possible that this desire to axe the fee is based more on impatience with the Corporation rather than hard-headed number crunching.

We have taken the Tour de France to our hearts in a big way. What a magnificent event

For all its faults, the BBC is a wonderful institution. Its dramas, documentaries, news coverage, sport and educational programmes are remarkable and as it moves towards its 100th birthday (in 2022) one can only conclude that the nation and the world would be very much the poorer without it.

However, those who responded to this survey are clearly impatient with what is seen as the BBC's wastefulness. Stories about presenters on vast salaries and huge TV crews sent to cover foreign events annoy the public.

Every other major organisation in Britain has had to do away with frills and perks. The BBC must do the same if it is to keep the nation's trust for the next hundred years.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vive Le Tour de France

BRITAIN and France have not always seen eye to eye on things. We have fought them on the battlefield and scoffed at their funny little ways.

But we have taken the Tour de France to our hearts in a big way. What a magnificent event.